yom kippur – Rabbi Micah Streiffer

Do We Have to Forgive? Lessons From a Gourd Plant

Do we have to forgive? There’s a story in the Talmud (Ta’anit 2a-b) that says that Rabbi Elazar ben Shimon once insulted a man – called him ugly. And then immediately realized that he had done wrong. He got down off his donkey and pleaded for forgiveness. He said, “נַעֲנֵיתִי לְךָ, מְחוֹל לִי! – IContinueContinue reading “Do We Have to Forgive? Lessons From a Gourd Plant”

“As the Waters Cover the Sea”: A Prayer for Peace and Humanity

This is the sermon that I delivered on Yom Kippur morning 5785 (2024) at Am Shalom Congregation in Barrie, Ontario. This poem is called “Birkat Shalom – Blessing of Peace” by Marcia Falk נשאל מעין השלוםיזל כטליערף כמטר השלוםותמלא הארץ שלוםכמים לים מכסים Let us ask of the wellspring of peace:May peace drip like dew,AndContinueContinue reading ““As the Waters Cover the Sea”: A Prayer for Peace and Humanity”

Break the Bonds of Injustice: A Sermon about Race

This is the sermon that I delivered on Yom Kippur morning 5781/2000. It is about racism, privilege, bias, and justice – and about our responsibility to confront this issue and to ensure a just society. The text is below, or you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS-X1HiwPSs Twenty seven centuries ago, a man stood up inContinueContinue reading “Break the Bonds of Injustice: A Sermon about Race”

Life Up Your Head! A Yom Kippur Sermon about Awe

Note: This is the sermon that I delivered on Kol Nidrei this year (5781/2020). It is about the importance of “lifting up our heads” to experience what is awe inspiring in the world around us. The text is below, or you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygSM0_549SU There is a strange story in the midrash. ItContinueContinue reading “Life Up Your Head! A Yom Kippur Sermon about Awe”